Hard Claws Loss of Blood

Prologue (Re-edited)

Blood.

Lots of blood.

Dark woods.

I could hear the howling amongst the nighttime sky. I saw them in a vision, like a dream state, but none of this I imagined that I would believe in my life. When the nightmares had me screaming in the middle of the night, my parents would come into my room.

"Katie" my mother's soothing voice called to me as my eyes snapped open and saw her eyes creased with worry, my father's eyes looked like he was about to lose someone.

"Mom" I sobbed, my father came to sit beside me and my parents hugged me tight. My father's hugs were like a reassurance that nothing could hurt me, that I was his own and only treasure. My mom always calmed me down when I was angry, frustrated or scared by other-worldly things that might kill me during my sleep and in my dreams.

"Katie?" my mother asked and I kept my mouth shut, I knew I had to tell her, tell her that there are things haunting me in my sleep and that I could never get any sleep without the monsters of all sorts killing me.

I knew if I told her, she would call the hospital and put me into a mental ward. Don't get me wrong, my mother is great, but tell her things and you will end up in a mental hospital (she's done it to me before).

I opened my mouth and after my mother said my name again, I told her.

"I thought you stopped seeing them in your dreams?" my mother asked.

"I did, but they came back!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up and I can see in my mother's eyes that she was about to turn around and call the hospital again and have me admitted.

"I won't call them this time, but you are going to stay with a relative until we can find out what is going on" my mother said as my parents left and I was left lying in bed crying numbly.